Basket liner



Oct. 2, 1934. HIATT 1,975,510

BASKET LINER Original Filed Nov. 25, 1929 o '9 z gmgh. O o O a I I W "WINE T" Wm INVENTOR- Patented Oct. 2, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BASKET LINER Enos B. Hiatt, Denver, 0010., assignor to Carpenter-Hiatt Sales Company, Denver, 0010., a corporation of Colorado 6 Claims. (Cl. 217--3) This invention relates to liners used for lining baskets, barrels, crates, pails, etc. In the trade, such liners are ordinarily referred to as basket liners because their principal use is for lining baskets; and the common terminology of basket liner is used herein without regard to whether or not the container to be lined is technically a basket. This application is a division of my copending application Serial Number 409,493 filed November25, 1929.

The liner of the present invention-is suitable for lining containers generally, but is desired primarily to meet the requirementsof packing by the system known in the trade as the Hiatt ring 1' pack system of packing. In this system fruit,

vegetables, etc. are packed by'placing a layer of fruit (for example) on a circular face plate; then placing on top of the face plate a frusto-conical metal shell within which there is a frusto-conical 2g liner; filling the shell with fruit; removing; the shell and leaving a column of fruit supported by the liner; inverting the basket over the column of fruit; turning the basket and face plate as a unit to bring the basket right side up; and then (or at the same time) jolting the basket so that the liner yields or breaks and allows the fruit to settle into a snug pack into the basket.

An object of the present invention is to provide for inexpensive, quick, and satisfactory secur ing together of the ends of the liner. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive liner in which the ends can be quicklysecured together in such manner as to firmly lock them against separation under the pressure ing shell has been removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide for locking of the ends which is secured against slippage from the pressure of a column of fruit supported by the liner but permits of slippage to allow the fruit to settle when the basket is vigorously jolted.

Fig. 1 of the drawing is a plan view of a liner embodying the present invention, before it has been bent into a loop.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary development showing the ends being brought together for fastening.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary development showing the fastened ends of the liner.

The liner 1 consists of an arcuate strip of suitable sheet material such as heavy paper or cardboard of moderate strength and stiffness, strong enough to properly support a column of fruit, but of such texture or character as to readily yield and conform to the shape and irregularities of a of a column of fruit (or the like) after the pack-' fruit basket when the filled basket is jolted. At one end of the strip there is provided a transversely positioned curved or arcuate slit 2 having the outside of the curve directed toward the adjacent end edge 3 of the strip. Cut out from the material of the opposite end of the strip there is a barb-like tongue 5 having its base portion 6 integral with the strip proper and its free end directed away from the body portion '7 of the strip.

At either side of the base portion of the tongue there are rearwardly projecting locking tabs or barbs 8, 8 which extend toward the body portion 7 of the strip. The strip is preferably provided with a number of ventilating holes 9.

In use, or in preparation for use, the strip is bent into a loop and when this is done the curved contour of the original strip causes it to form into a frusto-conical liner. The ends of the liner are brought toward one another as indicated in Fig. 2 and are overlapped with the slitted end preferably outside of the tongued end. The tongue 5 is inserted through the slit 2 and brought to the outside of the loop. Due to the arcuate form of the slit and the inclination of lines of cut 10, 10 the tongue is readily telescoped through the slit enough to allow the locking tabs or barbs 8 to snap through to the outside face of the loop, whereupon these tabs lock in the manner shown in Fig. 3 and prevent separation of the ends of the loop.

It will be noted that the curved form of the slit 2 and the inclination of lines 10, 10 also permits the ends of the liner (after they have been locked together) to be slipped back and forth into a greater or less degree of overlap. This provides a desirable degree of adjustability to permit the liner to adjust itself toslightly different sizes of packing shells and baskets, commercial shells and baskets of a given nominal size varying somewhat in actual size. To provide for adequate yielding of the liner when the basket of fruit is jolted at the completion of the basket filling, the liner may be made of material of such strength and character that the body of the strip will yield or tear upon the jolting. However, if the strip be of too weak material, there is danger of some of the strips tearing or breaking while the liner is supporting the column of fruit before the basket has been applied. With the present construction, the strip may, if desired, be made of quite strong material which will provide a large factor of safety in supporting the column of fruit before the basket is applied. The locking effect of tabs or barb 8 is a very positive one, but these tabs iii or barbs may be made of such shape, size and character that upon the basket of fruit being jolted they will yield (as by bending or tearing), thus permitting any degree of expansion of a liner which may be necessary to allow the column of fruit to settle into a snug pack.

The liner may be shipped from the factory to the packer in various conditions. It 'may be shipped out fiat, as shown in Fig. 1, or it may be folded, in which case scoring creases or lines 11 are preferably provided. If the liner is to be so folded that the ends just meet but do not overlap, the scoring lines 11 will be in the position shown in Fig. 1, but if the liner is to be shipped fiat but with the ends locked together as shown in Fig. 3, the scoring lines 11 will, of course, be somewhat closer together.

The present invention may be embodied in forms other than the specific one disclosed, and hence the disclosure is merely illustrative in compliance with the patent statute and is-not to be considered as limiting the scope of the appended claims.

' I claim: 7

1. A basket liner comprising a strip of cardboard like material adapted to be bent into a closed loop and have its ends fastened together in overlapping relation, one end of the strip having a generally transverse slit and the other end having a tongue to engage the slit, the tongue having a base portion attached to the strip and a free end directed away from the body portion of the strip, the tongue also having adjacent said base portion at least one locking tab which extends toward the body portion of the strip, said tab being of such shape, size and character as to yield upon jolting of a filled basket to permit the contents of the basket to settle into a snug pack.

2. A baset liner comprising a strip of cardboard-like material adapted to be bent into a closed loop and have its ends fastened together in overlapping relation, one end of the strip having a generally transverse slit and the other end having a tongue to engage the slit, the tongue having a base portion integral with the strip and a free end directed away from the body portion of the strip, the tongue also having at the sides of said base portion locking tabs which X- tendtoward the body portion of the strip, said tabs being of such shape, size and character as to yield upon jolt-ing of a filled basket to permit the contents of the basket to settle into a snug pack.

3. A basket liner comprising a strip of cardboard-like material adapted to be bent into a closed loop and have its ends fastened together in overlapping relation, one end of the strip having a curved slit generally transverse of the strip and the other end having a tapered tongue out out from the strip a short distance from the end edge of the strip, the tongue having its free end directed away from the body'portion of the strip and its base portion integral with the strip, the tongue also having adjacent said base portion at least one locking tab which extends toward the body portion of the strip, said tab being of such shape, size and character as to yield upon jolting of a filled basket to permit the contents of the basket to settle into a snug pack.

4. A basket liner comprising a strip of cardboard-like material adapted to be bent into a closed loop and have its ends fastened together in overlapping relation, one end of the strip having a curved slit positioned with the outside of the curve toward the end edge of the strip and the other end having a pointed tongue out out from the strip a short distance from the end edge of the strip, the tongue having its free end directed away fromthe body portion of the strip and its base portion integral with the strip, the tongue also having at the sides of said base por tion pointed locking tabs which extend toward the body portion of the strip, said tabs being of such shape, size and character as to yield upon jolting of a filled basket to permit the contents of the basket tosettle into a snug pack.

5. A basket liner comprising a loop of cardboard-like material having'its ends fastened together by a tongue on one end of the strip which extends through a slit in the other end of the strip, the tongue having a plu'ralityof locking portions lying against the same face of the slitted end of the strip, one of said locking portions lying'adjacent to one end-of the slit and another of said locking portions lying adjacent to the other end of the slit, and the locking portions being of such shape, size and character as to yield upon jolting of a filled basket to permit the Com tents of the basket to settle into a snug pack.

- 6. A basket liner comprising a loop of card board-like material having its ends overlapped and fastened together by a tongue integral with the inside end of the strip, thetongue extendingto the outside of the loop through a slit in the outside end of the strip and having at opposite sides of its base locking tabs whichextend rearwardly and lie against the outside 'face'of the slitted end of the strip, said tabs being'of such shape, size and character as to yield upon jolting of a filled basket to "permit the contents of the basket to settle into a snug pack.

ENOS B. HIATT. 

